It’s very hard to find someone nowadays who is not engaged with at least one social media platform on a regular basis. This goes to show the magnitude of how big social media has become over the past decade. Millions of people all around the world are scrolling through social media sites every second. And with so many people gathered in one place, it is a great opportunity for businesses to attract and engage with their customers.
As technology evolves, so do businesses. Just like how so many businesses adopted email back in the 1980s and 1990s, same way businesses are adopting social media sites to further expand the scope of their business. Leveraging the capabilities of social media can be a powerful tool. Social media sites allow companies to increase their reach, engage with the right audience, and achieve their business goals.
However, this was not always the case. Businesses used to be a lot less trusting of social media sites. That is why they continued operating without integrating social media sites into their business models. These sites were primarily used only for the promotion and marketing of products.
But now, social media platform holders are integrating marketplaces within their sites after realizing how many people and brands would benefit from this feature. Thus, social media has become a key figure in the success and operations of organizations.
Why Should You Use Social Media Platforms For Your Business?
If you just started your business, then you are highly likely to contemplate this question. Simply put, there are several benefits of using social media platforms for your business as you will see.
1. Helps You to Build Brand Awareness
It has been estimated that over half of the entire population on the planet uses social media websites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Thus, being active on social media helps you to reach a large number of people and keep your brand’s name in their minds. And as you gain more popularity, you are bound to get more people checking out what you have to offer.
2. Helps to Increase Web Traffic
Posting your content and ads on social media is a great method of increasing traffic to your website. You can use engaging content to make people click on your desired links. Furthermore, an increase in web traffic will result in higher sales numbers.
3. Can Make You Go Viral
As more people like, comment on, and share your posts, the higher the likelihood that your content will become viral. In other words, as people engage with your content, their friends and family can also see it too. And if they decide to engage with it as well, then this could lead to even further exposure. This phenomenon of going viral is only possible thanks to social media.
4. Helps Establish Effective Communication
Social media platforms are a great medium to start a conversation. You can interact with people in real time via comments. This will allow you to gauge how the general public feels about your content or product. In addition, you can also collect constructive feedback, so that you can iron out all of the issues before release.
5. Allows You to Learn About Your Customers
You can gain a lot of useful data using social media analytics. Nowadays, the most popular social media sites allow you to see in-depth information about your audience. This allows you to make well-informed decisions and tailor your social media strategy to better speak to your audience.
In summary, there are several benefits of using social media for a business as there are very few drawbacks. However, it’s important to make strategic decisions about how you will use social media platforms.
10 Best Social Media Platforms for Business
Now that we have a good understanding of social media sites and why you should use them for your business, let’s take a look at all of the essential sites that you need to know about.
1. Facebook
The likelihood of finding someone who hasn’t heard of Facebook is very rare. That’s how popular this social media site is! Facebook currently has almost 3 billion, active monthly users. Given that the entire population of the world is almost 8 billion now, that means 37.5% of all people use Facebook. This gives businesses a huge opportunity to generate massive reach. As of 2021, it had been reported that there were more than 200 million businesses on Facebook using its tools.
So, why is this site so popular for businesses? Well, that’s because it is very easy to get started on the platform because it supports all types of content whether it’s videos, pictures, write-ups, daily stories, etc. Furthermore, you can find your target audience, generate leads, and get new customers.
Plus, you can also communicate with your customers via the comment section. However, the paid ad system can be a bit troublesome and expensive to use. Luckily, they are totally optional and you don’t have to use them if you don’t want to.
2. Instagram
Speaking of Facebook, the social media giant bought Instagram back in 2012 when the company had only 13 employees. Now, the website has roughly 1 billion, active monthly users. Initially, people could only post pictures on Instagram. However, as time passed, Instagram integrated a lot of new features, which included videos, lives, stories, reels, and IGTV.
Since Instagram is primarily a visual platform, it can be a great place to showcase products. Plus, Instagram allows you to create a business account that can provide you with analytics about your audience and how effective your posts are.
Businesses can use this data to determine how to better market their product. Furthermore, Instagram is a great website to use if you want to organically grow the reach and exposure of your brand.
3. YouTube
YouTube is the world’s biggest video-sharing platform. Currently, the monthly active users on YouTube amount to 2.6 billion people. What makes the site such a powerful tool for business is that it is used not only for entertainment but also for learning purposes.
Users can engage with a variety of different content ranging from music, reviews, informative videos, and much more. So, it is possible to create curated content for your targeted audience via YouTube. Furthermore, just like Facebook and Instagram, you can also engage with your audience in the comments section and leave links to your desired websites to boost traffic.
However, if you want to reach as many people as possible, then you will need to know about YouTube SEO. You can also gather valuable data and analytics from the site as well.
4. Linkedin
What makes Linkedin stand out from the rest is that it is primarily a social media site for business professionals. This business model can open the door to many companies and individuals who are trying to network and expand their reach.
Moreover, Linkedin is also a great platform for recruitment and partnerships. According to Linkedin, the site has over 830 million users from more than 200 countries. The site offers features that are quite common in other social media sites like the ability to post pictures, video write-ups, etc.
However, one thing to note is that people don’t usually go to Linkedin for entertainment purposes or online shopping. Hence, the typical forms of promotion or sales wouldn’t work on Linkedin as their entire demographic is very business-oriented.
5. Twitter
Twitter is important not because of its unique array of features, but because of the people who use it. The platform is home to several influential people which include the likes of journalists and celebrities to even presidents.
People primarily use Twitter to share their thoughts, views, stories, articles, and anecdotes. It is also a great place to network with influencers. Most businesses use Twitter for customer service. However, the site can feel a bit limiting to businesses as each post can only contain 280 characters.
6. Reddit
Reddit is a very influential social media platform because it is a place where people share their genuine experiences. According to Similarweb, the site had 1.6 billion visits as of April 2022, making it easily one of the most visited sites on the planet.
Currently, there are more than 50 million daily active users on Reddit. A lot of companies found massive success by engaging with their fanbase on Reddit. But before you dive in to promote your product and business, it is important to state that Reddit has very strict rules on using the platform for commercial use. Blatant self-advertisement can lead to bans.
Also, it is not possible to disguise your business posts as personal content because everyone can check your profile and history for suspicious activity. With that being said, Reddit is an excellent place to conduct market research as you can ask questions and receive valuable feedback about different aspects of your business.
7. TikTok
Unless you have been living under a rock, there is no doubt that you haven’t heard of TikTok. It is a video-sharing mobile app that has taken the world by storm. Since its launch in 2016, the app quickly gained massive popularity as it garnered 1 billion active monthly users.
That is a monumental feat to achieve in such a short time. Although initially the video-sharing app only lets its users create or share 15-60 second videos, TikTok has confirmed that users can now post a maximum of 10-minute videos. The app allows its users to post videos of any kind, so it is a great tool for promotion and marketing.
However, the majority of TikTok users are between the age of 18-24 years and it primarily consists of males. Thus, if you are promoting a product that appeals to that specific demographic, then TikTok is a great choice for your business.
8. Pinterest
Pinterest is a great site for small businesses. It is the premier destination for discovering new products and ideas, which can be highly beneficial for businesses. Users “pin” photographs to the site that links to websites, product pages, blog entries, and other content.
It has been reported that users are 7 times more likely to buy products that they have pinned. The company was founded in March 2010 and currently has 433 million active monthly users as of the first quarter of 2022.
According to Similarweb, the demographic of Pinterest primarily consists of users between the age of 25-34 years, where the majority of them are female which amounts to approximately 53% of the total site population. Hence, similar to TikTok, businesses should properly determine their target audience before using Pinterest for commercial purposes.
9. Quora
When talking about the most popular social media sites for businesses, Quora isn’t the first name to come up. But given the nature of Quora, it can be used for business. The platform is a community-based Q&A website where users can find answers to many different types of questions that cover a variety of topics. Do keep in mind though, that just like Reddit, Quora also has very strict guidelines on brand promotion and commercial marketing. So, how can you use Quora for business?
Well, for starters, you can create a page dedicated to your business. You can also answer questions regarding your product, service, brand, and your respective industry. Also, Quora offers an ad platform that you can use to advertise your product.
Lastly, as more than half of the total users of Quora conduct research before finalizing their purchase, businesses have a great opportunity to create a sales funnel through the website.
10. Snapchat
Snapchat popularized “stories” which were later adopted by sites like Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp, etc. The main purpose of the mobile app is to share photos or short clips, known as “snaps” among your friends.
Despite its fall in popularity in recent times, Snapchat still holds a position of immense influence, especially among the younger generation. It was reported back in April 2020, that Snapchat had almost 530 million active users. Therefore, if your target audience consists of teenagers, then Snapchat could be a great app for exposure.
Final Thoughts
Given how connected everyone is via social media platforms, it is a great avenue for businesses to explore further. Moreover, social media marketing has become an extremely lucrative way for brands to gain exposure as well as increase conversion rates. And the sites that we listed are some of the biggest social media platforms in the world. If you can center an effective marketing strategy around these platforms, then you are bound to be successful.
